Such treatment consists in injecting an embolic liquid by means of a catheter, for the purpose of plugging the vessel(s) supplying the diseased zone.
Unfortunately, it is known that it sometimes happens that the embolic liquid covers the distal end of the catheter used for injecting it and holds it captive in such a manner that it is necessary to pull on the catheter in an attempt to dislodge it.
It will readily be understood that such a maneuver can present drawbacks. For example, the embolic liquid can be withdrawn together with the catheter so that it no longer performs its function, or else it can become deposited in an undesired location, which can cause numerous small arteries to rupture. Another drawback occurs when the traction force is not sufficient and cannot be increased without running the risk of leading to major arterial lesions. Under such circumstances, the only solution is to leave practically the entire catheter in place in the body of the patient.
Various systems have been developed for avoiding leaving the entire catheter in place, e.g. the systems described in the following documents: US 2004/225279; US 2002/16582; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,743,251. Those systems are constituted essentially by a main tube terminated at its distal end by an endpiece butt-joined to the main tube via a bead of material in the form of a spacer that presents a weak point so as to be easily destroyed by various means. That can give satisfaction, providing that when the catheter is inserted, the endpiece does not become detached from the main tube before reaching the location that has been determined for injecting the fluid.